Amish Girl, 10, Won't Be Forced to Have Chemo, Judge Rules

A 10-year-old Amish girl will not be forced to undergo chemotherapy, an Ohio judge has ruled, siding with the girl's parents, who say previous chemotherapy made her sick.

Though an appeals court sent the case back to a judge for further consideration last week, Judge John Lohn denied temporary limited guardianship to a nurse and dismissed the case in Medina County, Ohio, explaining that the Hershbergers are "good parents."

"They live a simple life, but this does not mean they are simple-minded," Lohn wrote in the ruling.

In April, Sarah Hershberger was diagnosed with lymphoblastic lymphoma, which resulted in tumors on her neck, chest and kidneys, according to court records. Sarah started chemotherapy at Akron Children's Hospital in Medina County, Ohio, but her parents, Andy and Anna Hershberger, decided to stop the treatments in June.

Sarah has an 85 percent chance of survival with chemotherapy, according to a statement from Akron Children's Hospital. Without it, the cancer is "almost always fatal," the hospital wrote on its webpage about Sarah's case.

"We've seen how sick it makes her," Andy Hershberger told Good Morning America in a phone interview last week."Our belief is the natural stuff will do just as much as that stuff if it's God's will. She would have more suffering doing chemo than not."

The Hershbergers believe chemotherapy will kill Sarah, but they don't object to resuming it "at some point in the future," Lohn wrote in his ruling.

"Akron Children's Hospital is disappointed in Judge Lohn's ruling," the hospital said in a statement. "We believe this case is about children's rights and giving a 10-year-old girl an 85 percent chance of survival with treatment."

Lohn wrote that the chemotherapy wasn't a surefire cure, and that the Hershbergers weren't informed about its side effects.

"Sarah says her doctor should be put in jail," Lohn wrote. "Even if the treatments are successful, there is a very good chance Sarah will become infertile and have other serious health risks for the rest of her life."

Recommended for You

In fact, Helen and Al Giugliano are hilariously irate as Gabriella Rutigliano treks to class as she's studying nursing at Quinnipiac University in Hamden, Connecticut. The two, who now reside in Hauppauge, New York, have four daughters, nine grandchildren and three great-grandchildren between them

Bindi Irwin said goodbye to her longtime boyfriend Chandler Powell as he heads back to the United States. The 18-year-old took to Instagram to post a touching message about temporarily parting with her beau after spending the last few months together in her native Australia.

Swift, 26, released a video snippet of "I Don’t Wanna Live Forever" just before midnight Thursday on her social media accounts, set to scenes from the film. Malik teased a different part on the song on social media, showing off his part of the duet.

The first trailer for "Spider-Man: Homecoming" is here and there's a lot to take in, including a new villain, a new suit, new friend and ... new lady loves? The clip, which premiered last night on "Jimmy Kimmel Live," opens with Spidey doing what he does best. "Wait a minute

Celine Dion is celebrating the holidays for the first time without her late husband, René Angélil.Angélil, who had also been Dion's manager for decades and her husband since 1994, passed away Jan. 14 after a long battle with throat cancer. He died two days before his 74th birthday.Dion told the New

"Office Christmas Party" is the equivalent of a major league baseball team that has an all-star at every position -- but finishes in last place. This cast! C’mon! Jennifer Aniston, Kate McKinnon, Jason Bateman, T.J. Miller, Olivia Munn, Vanessa Bayer, Jillian Bell, Randall Pak, Rob Coddry

As locals near Washington, D.C.’s Comet Pizza restaurant know too well, fake news headlines can have real-world implications. Edgar Welch allegedly fired three shots at the local hotspot after driving 350 miles from North Carolina in order to investigate a fake news story that the pizzeria was home

African-American model Deddeh Howard is on a mission to change the fashion industry, one revolutionary image at a time. Howard posted photos of herself recreating ad campaigns, such as Kendall Jenner for Calvin Klein, Gigi Hadid for Guess and Kate Moss for David Yurman, in a project she called “Black

Donald Trump senior adviser Kellyanne Conway has blasted the president-elect's critics -- namely Hillary Clinton supporters -- for fueling a barrage of death threats against her. "Anytime I respond, anytime I defend myself against these ... allegations that are now leading to death threats

Actor Ryan Gosling discussed his upcoming musical "La La Land," and his own personal experience of moving to Los Angeles to follow his dreams in an interview with "Good Morning America" that aired today. "You know, it's not easy to leave your hometown and your family and

South Korea's national assembly voted Friday to impeach President Park Geun-hye over her alleged links to a corruption scandal. Backed by overwhelming public support -- evident from the millions of South Koreans who have filled the streets in recent weeks demanding her impeachment -- the opposition-controlled

Donald Trump is reprising the slogan of his historic presidential campaign as the official theme of a five-day inaugural celebration in the nation's capital next month, ABC News has learned. The Trump inaugural committee is set to announce “Make America Great Again!” -- a rallying cry for his supporters

Buzz Aldrin, prepare for lift off.After spending more than a week at a New Zealand hospital, Aldrin’s assistant tweeted a photo Friday morning showing the legendary NASA astronaut on an airplane with the caption, “Bye bye New Zealand! Hope to see you again! (But next time for vacation and not evacuation

The death of legendary astronaut John Glenn sparked an outpouring of tributes, including from President Obama, who said the space pioneer "lifted the hopes of a nation.""With John's passing, our nation has lost an icon and Michelle and I have lost a friend," Obama said. "

President-elect Donald Trump unloaded on China during the third stop on his "thank you" victory tour, telling a crowd in Des Moines, Iowa that the country is "going to start" playing by the rules. Trump has taken a tough stance on China throughout his campaign, but he raised eyebrows

President-elect Donald Trump is set to remain an executive producer of “Celebrity Apprentice,” a representative for MGM tells ABC News. The news comes as Trump is facing questions about what business ties, if any, he will keep as he assumes the presidency and criticism that he could face conflicts of

Princess Kate stepped out tonight wearing the famous pearl-and-diamond-clad Cambridge Lover’s Knot Tiara, which was a favorite of Princess Diana, for the annual white tie diplomatic reception at Buckingham Palace. The Duchess of Cambridge looked regal in red, recycling the same dress by designer Jenny

One son was so proud of his parents finally graduating from college that he couldn't help boast about their achievement on Twitter. It's been a long road for Cole III's father, Charles L. Cole Jr. and his wife Renaté, to graduate. The younger Cole, 33, obtained his bachelor's degree